


Game

by Ryuki



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 11:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuki/pseuds/Ryuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU! Mr. Noatak and Korra discussing Amon's demise over a game of chess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Game

In an empty classroom, two figures sat hunched over a table, contemplating possible moves on their board game. Before them, two veritable armies of plastic - rooks, knights, royalty, pawns - lay out before them, scattered across dark and light colored tiles. 

"It's useless!" Korra snarled, throwing her arms into the air and leaning back in her chair. She stared up at the ceiling, pouting, "I'm never going to beat you. You're always a step ahead of me." 

"Not true." The man sitting opposite of her was twice her age, holding a faintly amused smile on his lips. Only his blue eyes - and even those were a too light - belied his heritage as Water Nation. His pale skin, initially, made Korra presume he was of mixed descent, which wasn't a big deal. Many people were from integrated families. She actually enjoyed it. It was just a shock to hear he was from the North, with his pallor.

"Then why can't I ever capture your king?" Korra sat up straight, her eyes catching Mr. Noataks' as she gestured to the chess board. Currently, her White Queen was stalking his Dark King, "Even when I use my queen, I can't ever get him!"

"You try too hard to do it with one player, Korra." The man replied, sitting back in his chair, letting his shoulders relax beneath the fabric of his three-piece suit. He picked up a glass of water from the table and took a brief sip, "Let's take a break." 

"'Kay." He could see her mind speeding fifty miles a minute, trying to figure out what her next moves should be. Though they were on a break. Noatak had been quite surprised when the Avatar requested to join the Chess Club. Very few students, let alone benders, asked to join the less than exciting Republic City University Chess Club. It suited Noatak just fine, though. On days when he had other plans to tend to, he could easily skip meetings. No one asked anything, most were responsible enough to handle the time alone.

However, Korra was so far behind when it came to knowing how to play chess, the others didn't want to teach her. Thus added another weekly event to his schedule: tutoring the Avatar in chess. 

In the beginning, it was tedious and frustrating. Now, she was picking up the pace, learning rather quickly, and becoming much more formidable. 

She was still no match for him, however.

"We're supposed to be relaxing, Korra, not plotting our next steps." Noatak flashed her an amiable, if tight, smile as he placed the glass back on the table.

Korra glanced up from the board, sheepishly, before nodding, "Right."

They sat in silence together, eyes roving around the room. It was his typical classroom during the week, when he taught Sociology to half-dozing students. Korra was in his class this semester, she tended to be part of the sleepy-heads. He couldn't blame her, since she was frequently up late, battling Amon and his Equalists. It didn't mean he gave her any leeway; in fact, he was a bit more rough with her than the other students. 

"What do you plan to do, now that Amon is gone?" His own words surprised Noatak. Three weeks past had seen the 'death' of Amon, in Yue Bay, after a fairly violent take-over of the city. Korra had, surprisingly, squashed the uprising, but not without cost. She lost her bending. Most of it. It was rumored she could still airbend. Noatak fought the urge to rub the dark purple and green bruise that still adorned his chest from that particular surprise. 

"What do you mean? He's gone. We party." Korra replied, with less than ideal enthusiasm. Undoubtedly, many other had interrogated her since Amon's 'passing'. Korra reached across the board and moved her Queen a few spaces. It was typical for their breaks to dissolve back into game play. 

Noatak took a quick glance at the board, before launching an offense against one of her Rooks who lingered close to his King, "You don't believe he challenged you? Or brought an interesting point to light?"

"To tell you the truth, he was kind of a creep. I'm pretty sure he was leering at my ti--er, bust behind that mask," Korra replied, lips pursed as she shifted a Rook out of the way of capture. Noatak felt his ears burn at the insinuation. He couldn't deny it, obviously, for two reasons: his secret identity and it was true. There had been moments when her ample bosom caught his eye and he'd have been a flagrant fool to deny otherwise. Much of the male student body also fell prey to that particular asset. "Non-benders do get the short end of the stick, I get that, but Sokka and Suki and Fire Lady Mai were non-benders and perfectly capable of protecting themselves."

"Not everyone has the opportunities they had." Her attempt to save her Rook was fruitless as Noatak swooped in with a Bishop.

"Yeah, well, Amon kind of ruined his movement by getting violent, anyway." Korra persisted with her excuses, choosing a counter move, "He could've talked to the council or me and maybe we could've handled things diplomatically."

Noatak scoffed, but altered it into a faux cough when Korra's curious gaze flicked to his face. He adjusted his reading glasses, mentally berating himself for being so stupid. The man hid his fluster by concentrating on the board, ignoring the female gaze that was boring into his face.

"Hey, Mr. Noatak, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly." He didn't bother to bring his gaze up from the chess board.

"Why aren't you ever around when Amon is?"

Noatak froze in sacrificing a Pawn to save his Knight. His blue eyes flickered from the chessboard to Korra, who leaned on the table, eyebrows quirked. 

"Are you insinuating something?" He pulled an award-winning smile across his lips, his words tinted with good-humor. 

"I'm not the one who noticed this, actually. It's a rumor around campus; actually there's two theories," Korra leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms but giving one hand enough room to flash the man two fingers, "One, you're Amon. Two, you are having an affair with the Phys Ed instructor, Mr. Lieu, since he happens to disappear too. Not as frequently as yourself, though."

"Oh, well," Noatak scrambled for a proper reply, relying on humor, "Masaru strikes a rather erotic figure in a pair of tight jeans. Man has muscles made of steel."

Korra's eyebrows inched further up her forehead while Noatak ignored her, finishing his move. He felt his face warming with a blush and couldn't stop it. How mortifying, pretending to be in a sexual relationship with his right-hand man simply to hide his identity. As an aside, Noatak muttered, "Besides, I'm not a bender. Wasn't it revealed Amon was able to bend water?" 

The man nearly jumped from his skin as a warm hand fell onto his shoulder. His eyes snapped upward, where Korra stood. She had - quietly - gotten up and trod over to him. Or perhaps Noatak just was too worried about a revelation to notice her. Regardless, she stood agonizingly close. Faint hormones, which Noatak tried to destroy on multiple occasions, stirred in his groin. The Avatar was a beautiful young woman and her scent - Yue, Tui, and La that scent - was intoxicating. Strong and sweet and tangy. 

Korra leaned closer to him and, before he could pull away, she plucked the glasses off his face. His eyes widened as she folded them up and slid them into his breast pocket. Her eyes stayed on his face, observing every detail with scrutiny. 

Noatak's heart throbbed in his chest. He didn't think she had gotten a good look at him in the bay and her recollection had to be particularly fuzzy! Besides, his oil-based makeup hadn't even smudged, even while he was waterbending a torrent to propel him out of the bay. There was no way she, or anyone else, would recognize him!

"It's interesting how men of the Water Nation have such similar builds. Tall," Korra reached toward the chessboard, relieving the man of her heated leer for a moment, "Muscular and broad." She stole hsi Knight with a Rook he hadn't noticed before. Noatak stared at the chessboard, adrenaline and uncertainty clouding his mind as Korra continued to speak, "Deep voices. A penchant for charisma. I always thought you and Representative Tarrlok had some sort of relation." 

"What?" Then it hit him, nearly knocking the air from his lungs. Tarrlok. The little brat. There had been a brief exchange between himself and his little brother, hours before he faced off with the Avatar. She must have met him before they escaped, must have heard something. Noatak shifted uneasily, thinking of his amnesiac brother who now laid in an abbey's ward, tended to by country nuns. 

His eyes slowly crawled up to Korra, but he didn't utter a word lest his thought process be wrong. He swallowed, heavily, waiting for her reply. She stared down at him, her dark blue eyes darting across his face, drinking in his guilt. Then her gaze shifted to the chessboard again.

So softly, he barely heard her, Korra murmured, "Checkmate."

Noatak's eyes wheeled back to the board, shocked that Korra had managed to place him into checkmate. Then again, he wasn't focusing on the game anymore.

"Same time next week, Amon?" He felt Korra's breath hot and soft against his ear. Those hormones in his lower stomach rioted, wanting to grab her, fling her across the table, do adult things to her that were improper with Noatak as her teacher and archenemy.

He couldn't comprehend what she was doing. Was she hitting on him with sultry moves? Was she unaware of how much of an effect she had on him? Korra knew who he was - through simple deduction - but made insinuations he'd be free to continue these meetings? His mind whirled about the topics, unable to center or balance itself. His tone took on a harsher edge and he nearly snarled, "What are you getting at, Avatar?"

"The most important piece on a chessboard is the Queen. They're strong and brutal and capable, however," Korra stood up, smiling lazily down at Noatak, "They are so valuable thanks to their ability to move in a variety of ways." 

Noatak leered at Korra with puzzlement, wondering if this young woman had picked up more than chess tactics during their meetings. Korra trotted to the opposite side of the table, picking up her bag. Slinging it over one shoulder, the Avatar glanced back at Noatak. Her slick, seductive intelligence was replaced with a brash, serious expression, "If you do anything before we talk, next week, I'll pummel you. I've got bending practice now, so I'll see you next week." 

"Airbenders aren't part of the pro-bending circuit."

Korra paused in the doorway, a cheeky grin on her lips, "Yeah, well, I'm the Avatar, Mr. Noatak. You can't keep me down for long." 

She flicked her fingers and the cup of water sitting at the corner of the table splattered a few droplets across Mr. Noatak's face. He angrily wiped a hand over his face - annoyed more than surprised - removing the moisture, but she was already gone one the wetness was removed. Noatak turned his game to the board, lips pursed as a concoction of emotions mixed in his head. His careful plans, destroyed. His identity, found out. His movement, in peril. He clenched his fists on his knees, tempted to fling the table over. How could he be caught by such a foolish girl?!

"By the way!" Korra's voice rang from the door. She had apparently returned to rub salt into his would. His eyes flashed to her face, hiding none of his rage. The young woman didn't flinch. Instead, she purred, "You look much more handsome without that stupid make-up. Bye, now!" 

She took off, yet again. Leaving the professor wordless. He sat stiffly, staring at the spot where Korra had just been. His mind tumbled over itself, thoughts falling in unattainable rivulets as heat stirred harder in his lower stomach.

How did she have the ability to leave him enraged and aroused?


End file.
